Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T06:53:45.343Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Assessment of the Responsibility of Local Governments in Indonesia for the Management of Refugee Care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 September 2021

I Nyoman Suyatna*
Affiliation:
Administrative Law Department, Faculty of Law, Udayana University, Indonesia
I Made Budi Arsika
Affiliation:
International Law Department, Faculty of Law, Udayana University, Indonesia
Ni Gusti Ayu Dyah Satyawati
Affiliation:
Administrative Law Department, Faculty of Law, Udayana University, Indonesia
Rohaida Nordin
Affiliation:
Faculty of Law, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
Balawyn Jones
Affiliation:
Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract

This article assesses the responsibility of local governments in Indonesia for the management of refugee care, following the enactment of Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016 concerning the Treatment of Refugees (the “PR”). It highlights the limited authority of local governments in handling refugee issues—which is an issue that cuts across several national legal and administrative regimes including Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Immigration. This article focuses on the constraints of local political dynamics and budgeting in allocating local government funds for refugee care. In addressing these concerns, the authors argue that the PR should be amended to explicitly define the role of local governments in managing refugee issues and to include the regional revenue and expenditure budget as a source of funding. In addition, the authors argue that local governments that are hosting refugees should establish relevant local regulations for implementation of the PR.

Type
Refugees in Indonesia
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Asian Journal of Law and Society

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References

Affan, Heyder (2017) “Perpres Pengungsi Luar Negeri ‘Harus Jawab’ Masalah Utama Pengungsi,” BBC Indonesia, 25 July, https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/indonesia-40709910 (accessed 11 August 2020).Google Scholar
Afriansyah, Arie (2018) “Indonesia and the Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration.” 30 International Journal of Refugee Law 684–6.Google Scholar
Akbar, Aprilio (2018) “Penanganan Pengungsi Pencari Suaka,” Antara, 26 January.Google Scholar
Alief (2017) “Beredar Video Tolak Pengungsi Rohingya, Ini Penjelasan Gubernur Sulsel,” Fajar, 3 September.Google Scholar
Butt, Simon (2019) “Judicial Reasoning and Review in the Indonesian Supreme Court.” 6 Asian Journal of Law and Society 6797.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Legal, and Security Affairs (2017) “Government Agency Performance Report,” Deputy for Foreign Policy Coordination Year 2016, Jakarta, https://polkam.go.id/konten/unggahan/2017/07/Lakin_Deputi_II_Tahun_2016.pdf (accessed 20 October 2020).Google Scholar
Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Legal, and Security Affairs (2019) “Satgas Pengungsi Luar Negeri Kemenko Polhukam Dorong Pemda Makassar Bentuk Satgas Penanganan Pengungsi Dari Luar Negeri,” Official Website of the Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Legal, and Security Affairs, https://polkam.go.id/kemenko-polhukam-dorong-pemda-makassar-bentuk-satgas-penanganan/ (accessed 11 March 2020).Google Scholar
Diprose, Rachael, McRae, Dave, & Hadiz, Vedi R. (2019) “Two Decades of Reformasi in Indonesia: Its Illiberal Turn.49 Journal of Contemporary Asia 691712.Google Scholar
Directorate General of Human Rights (2020) “Audiensi Direktorat Kerja Sama HAM dengan ELSAM Terkait Implementasi RANHAM,” Official Website of The Directorate General of Human Rights, 14 July, http://ham.go.id/2020/07/14/audiensi-direktorat-kerja-sama-ham-dengan-elsam-terkait-implementasi-ranham/ (accessed 20 October 2020).Google Scholar
Gabiella, D., & Raak, Putri (2018) “Makassar City Government’s Urban Refugee Policy: Filling in the Gap?” 126 IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 110.Google Scholar
Hammarlund, Erik (2015) “Divide and Conquer: Political Decentralization and Secessionist Suppression in Indonesia and the Philippines.” Undergraduate thesis, Department of Politics & Government, University of Puget Sound.Google Scholar
Hirsch, Asher (2018) “After the Boats Have Stopped: Refugees Stranded in Indonesia and Australia’s Containment Policies,” Refugee Council of Australia Brief, 14 November.Google Scholar
Inilahmedan (2016) “Ulah Pengungsi Asing di Medan, Merayu Gadis Mengaku-Ngaku Turis,” 12 October, https://www.inilahmedan.com/2016/10/ulah-pengungsi-asing-di-medan-merayu.html (accessed 20 October 2020).Google Scholar
Komnas HAM RI (2019) “Suarakan Nasib Pengungsi, KOMNAS HAM-UNHCR tandatangani Nota Kesepahaman,” Official Website of the National Commission on Human Rights, 8 July, https://www.komnasham.go.id/index.php/news/2019/7/8/902/suarakan-nasib-pengungsi-komnas-ham-unhcr-tandatangani-nota-kesepahaman.html (accessed 20 October 2020).Google Scholar
Liliansa, Dita, & Anbar, Jayadi (2015) “Should Indonesia Accede to the 1951 Refugee Convention and Its 1967 Protocol?” 5 Indonesia Law Review 324–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luecke, Matthias, & Claas, Schneiderheinze (2017) “More Financial Burdensharing for Developing Countries that Host Refugees.” 11 Economics: The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal 111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lusiana, Vera (2019) “Satgas Penanganan Pengungsi Luar Negeri Perlu Dibentuk di Pekanbaru,” Antara, 20 August.Google Scholar
Martinez-Vazquez, Jorge (2011) The Impact of Fiscal Decentralization: Issues in Theory and Decentralization: Issues in Theory and Challenges in Practice, Manila: Asian Development Bank.Google Scholar
Medan City, Communication and Information, Agency (2019) “Wali Kota Medan Hadiri Rapat Koordinasi Penanganan Permasalahan Pengungsi Dari luar Negeri di Kota Medan,” Official Website of the Government of Medan City, 15 March, https://pemkomedan.go.id/artikel-18637-wali-kota-medan-hadiri-rapat-koordinasi-penanganan-permasalahan-pengungsi-dari-luar-negeri-di-kota-m.html (accessed 20 October 2020).Google Scholar
Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia (2018a) “Details of Allocation of Physical Special Allocation Fund of the Province/Regency/Municipality in the National Budget and Expenditure in the Year 2019,” http://www.djpk.kemenkeu.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Rincian-Alokasi-DAK-Fisik-TA-2019-Upload-Final-Fix-31-Okt.pdf (accessed 17 September 2020).Google Scholar
Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia (2018b) “Details of Allocation of Non-Physical Special Allocation Fund of the Province/Regency/Municipality in the National Budget and Expenditure in the Year 2019,” http://www.djpk.kemenkeu.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DAK-NONFISIK.pdf (accessed 17 September 2020).Google Scholar
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (2019) “Isu-Isu Kemanusiaan,” Official Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6 April, https://kemlu.go.id/portal/id/read/88/halaman_list_lainnya/isu-isu-kemanusiaan (accessed 20 October 2020).Google Scholar
Missbach, Antje (2017) “Accommodating Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Indonesia: From Immigration Detention to Containment in ‘Alternatives to Detention’.” 33 Refuge 3244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Missbach, Antje, Adiputera, Yunizar, & Prabandari, Atin (2018) “Is Makassar a ‘Sanctuary City’? Migration Governance in Indonesia after the ‘Local Turn’.” 11 Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies 199216.Google Scholar
Missbach, Antje et al. (2018) “Stalemate: Refugees in Indonesia—Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016.14 CILIS Policy Paper 127.Google Scholar
National and Political Unity Agency (Kesbangpol) Bintan Regency (2019) “Rapat Koordinasi Satgas Penanganan Pengungsi dari Luar Negeri di Wilayah Kabupaten Bintan,” Kesbangpol Bintan, 13 December, https://bakesbangpol.bintankab.go.id/rapat-koordinasi-satgas-penanganan-pengungsi-dari-luar-negeri-di-wilayah-kabupaten-bintan/ (accessed 12 March 2020).Google Scholar
Novika, Soraya (2019) “Warga Tolak Pencari Suaka, Gubernur Anies Angkat Tangan,” Alinea, 21 July, https://www.alinea.id/nasional/warga-tolak-pencari-suaka-gubernur-anies-angkat-tangan-b1Xj09lK3 (accessed 20 October 2020).Google Scholar
Prokaltim (2018) “Imigran Disarankan Tetap Tinggal di Rudenim: Penolakan Community House Menguat,” 23 April, https://kaltim.prokal.co/read/news/329222-penolakan-community-house-menguat.html (accessed 12 March 2020).Google Scholar
Salim, Zafrullah (2011) “‘Legislasi Semu (Pseudowetgeving)’: Artikel Hukum Tata Negara da Peraturan Perundang-undangan,Media Publikasi Peraturan Perundang-undangan dan Informasi Hukum, Kementerian Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia.Google Scholar
Save the Children Asia Regional Office (2018) “Forgotten Futures: The Lives of Refugee Children in Urban Areas of Indonesia and Thailand,” https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/node/13474/pdf/forgotten_futures_online_version.pdf (accessed 20 October 2020).Google Scholar
Secretariat of the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia (2015) “Perlukah Pulau Khusus dalam Menangani Pengungsi?,” Official Website of the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, 29 October, http://www.wapresri.go.id/perlukah-pulau-khusus-dalam-menangani-pengungsi/ (accessed 20 October 2020).Google Scholar
Sinaga, Edward James (2016) “Optimization of the Action Plan of National Human Rights of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of DKI Jakarta.” 10 Jurnal Ilmiah Kebijakan Hukum 141–61.Google Scholar
Yuliani, Putri Anisa (2017) “Pengungsi Asing Urusan PBB,” Media Indonesia, 5 September.Google Scholar
Yuliani, Putri Anisa (2019) “Anies: Pencari Suaka Tanggung Jawab UNHCR dan Pemerintah Pusat,” Media Indonesia, 19 July.Google Scholar
Zetter, Roger (2012) “Are Refugees an Economic Burden or Benefit?” 41 Forced Migration Review 50–2.Google Scholar

International instruments

Director for Disadvantaged, Transmigration, and Rural Areas, National Development Planning Agency (2019) “Priority Location of Affirmation Special Allocation Fund Year 2019,” http://kawasan.bappenas.go.id/download/93-lokasi-prioritas-dak-afirmasi-tahun-2019 (accessed 1 November 2020).Google Scholar
Human Rights Council (2015) “Role of Local Government in the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights—Final Report of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee,” A/HRC/30/49.Google Scholar
Memorandum of Understanding between The National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Indonesia and the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees 2015–18.Google Scholar

Legal documents of the Republic of Indonesia

1945 Constitution of the Republic of IndonesiaGoogle Scholar
Circular Letter of Director General of Politics and General Governance of the Ministry of Home Affairs No. 188/3200/Polpum (2017) on the Implementation of Regulation of Minister of Home Affairs No. 33 of 2017 on Guidance of the Composing Regional Budget and Expenditure in the Year 2018Google Scholar
Circular Letter of Directorate General of Immigration No. IMI-UM.01.01–2827 of 2018 on Restoration of the Immigration Detention House Function, First Instruction to Head Division of ImmigrationGoogle Scholar
Circular Letter of Ministry of Home Affairs No. 185/2793/SJ (2018) on the Role of Local Government in the Treatment of RefugeesGoogle Scholar
Decree of Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Legal, and Security Affairs No. KEP-10/Menko/Polhukam/1/2013 on Desk for People Smuggling, Refugees and Asylum SeekersGoogle Scholar
Decree of Regent of Bintan No. 542/XII/2019 dated 2 December 2019 Concerning Task Force on the Treatment of Refugees in the Territory of Bintan RegencyGoogle Scholar
Government Regulation No. 31 of 2013 on Implementing Law No. 6 of 2011 on ImmigrationGoogle Scholar
Government Regulation No. 28 of 2018 on Regional CooperationGoogle Scholar
Government Regulation No. 33 of 2018 on Implementation of Governor’s Duties and Authorities as a Representative of National GovernmentGoogle Scholar
Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia No. 57 Year 2019 on the Amendment of Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia; No. 48 Year 2018 on Procedures For Giving Grants To Foreign Governments / Foreign InstitutionsGoogle Scholar
Law No. 37 of 1999 on Foreign RelationGoogle Scholar
Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human RightsGoogle Scholar
Law No. 6 of 2011 on ImmigrationGoogle Scholar
Law No. 12 of 2011 on Law-MakingGoogle Scholar
Law No. 17 of 2014 on Peoples’ Consultative Assembly, Peoples’ Representative Council, The Council of Representatives of the RegionsGoogle Scholar
Law No. 23 of 2014 on Regional GovernmentGoogle Scholar
Law No. 12 of 2018 on State Budget and Expenditure in the Year 2019Google Scholar
Law No. 20 of 2019 on State Budget and Expenditure in the Year 2020Google Scholar
Letter from the Head of Political Development Unity and Community Protection Agency of Bintan Regency No. 91/Kesbang-Kesb/Bid.3 to Regent of Bintan on the Daily Situation Report of Ideology, Political, Social, Cultural, Defence, and Security Affairs dated 9 August 2019Google Scholar
Letter of Immigration Detention Center of Tanjung Pinang No. W.32.IMI.9-GR.04.02–0389 to the Head of Bintan Regency dated 6 April 2017Google Scholar
Letter of the Government of Bintan Regency No. 189/Hk/376 to Head of Immigration Detention Center of Tanjung Pinang dated 11 April 2017Google Scholar
Memorandum of Director of Disadvantaged, Transmigration and Rural Areas of the Ministry of National Development Planning No. 028/Dt.2.3.M/02/2018 Concerning the Adjustment of Priority Location for DAK Afirmasi Year 2019Google Scholar
Presidential Regulation No. 43 of 2015 on Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Legal, and Security AffairsGoogle Scholar
Presidential Regulation No. 75 of 2015 on National Action Plan on Human Rights 2015–2019CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016 Concerning the Treatment of RefugeesGoogle Scholar
Presidential Regulation No. 33 of 2018 on the Amendment of Presidential Regulation No. 75 of 2015 on National Action Plan on Human Rights 2015–2019Google Scholar
Presidential Regulation No. 141 of 2018 on Technical Guidance on Physical Special Allocation FundGoogle Scholar
Regulation of Bintan Regency No. 4 of 2018 on Implementation Accountability of the Revenue and Expenditure Budget of the Year 2017Google Scholar
Regulation of Head of Bintan Regency No. 44 Year 2018 Concerning the Establishment of Communication Center, Early Warning Information of the Bintan RegencyGoogle Scholar
Regulation of the Directorate General of Immigration No. IMI.1917-OT.02.01 of 2013 on Standard Operational Procedure of the Immigration Detention CenterGoogle Scholar
Regulation of the Directorate General of Immigration No. IMI-0352.GR.02.07 of 2016 on Handling of Illegal Immigrants who Declared as an Asylum Seekers or RefugeeGoogle Scholar
Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs No. 49 of 2010 Concerning Guidance for Monitoring of Foreigners and Foreign Community Organizations in the RegionGoogle Scholar
Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia No. 42 of 2016 Concerning Official Letters under the Ministry of Home AffairsGoogle Scholar
Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs No. 38 of 2018 on Guidance of the Composing Regional Budget and Expenditure in the Year 2019Google Scholar
Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs No. 33 of 2019 on Guidance on Composing the Regional Budget and Expenditure in the Year 2020Google Scholar
Regulation of the Minister of Law and Human Rights No. 4 of 2017 on Immigration Supervision ProceduresGoogle Scholar
Regulation of the Ministry of Finance No. 143/PMK.Ol/2019 on Concerning Organization and Procedures For International Development Funds InstitutionsGoogle Scholar
Regulationof the Ministry of Home Affairs No. 3 of 2008 on Guidance for Implementing Cooperation between Regional Government and Foreign PartyGoogle Scholar